Chief Scout’s Diamond Award Explained

What Is the Chief Scout’s Diamond Award?

The Chief Scout’s Diamond Award is the highest of the Chief Scout’s Awards.

It is the final Chief Scout’s Award before the King’s Scout Award, making it a significant achievement for Explorer Scouts and Scout Network members.

The award builds on many of the skills developed through the Chief Scout’s Platinum Award.

It encourages young people to take on greater challenges, develop their interests, contribute to their communities and become more independent.

It’s not simply about collecting another badge.

It’s about showing commitment, personal development and the ability to take on a bigger challenge.

🏆 THE BIG IDEA

The Diamond Award is about pushing yourself further.

Try something challenging.
Develop your skills.
Help your community.
Spend time outdoors.
Take responsibility for your own progress.

Who Can Earn the Diamond Award?

The award is available to Explorer Scouts and members of the Scout Network.

You must be a member of Explorer Scouts, Scout Network, or both for at least 12 months. Time already counted towards the Platinum Award can be included.

This means that completing Platinum first can give you a useful head start.

What Do You Have to Complete?

The current Diamond Award requirements include:

12 months of Explorer or Scout Network membership

16 nights away, including at least eight camping nights

Four International, Community and Values activities

And then a choice between:

The Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or Silver Gateway Award

or

The four Diamond Challenges.

The award is therefore something you normally work towards over an extended period.

16 Nights Away

You need to complete 16 nights away as an Explorer Scout or Scout Network member.

At least eight of those nights must be camping.

The current Scouts guidance also allows nights away to count when they have been used elsewhere in the award or towards the Chief Scout’s Platinum Award.

This means that camps, expeditions and other suitable Scouting nights away can contribute towards your progress.

Keeping a record of your nights as you go makes this much easier.

International, Community and Values Activities

The Diamond Award requires four activities from the International, Community and Values, or ICV, list.

You need to include at least one activity from each of the three areas:

International

Community

Values

Activities completed for the Platinum Award can also count towards the Diamond ICV requirement.

So if you’ve already completed Platinum, you may already have made useful progress towards this part of the Diamond Award.

International Activities

The International section encourages Explorers to learn about the wider world and different cultures.

Activities could include taking part in an international camp, working on an international development project or organising activities around an international theme.

The current ICV list also includes opportunities such as an international-themed expedition or completing suitable challenge awards through an international project.

The important thing is to choose activities that genuinely develop your understanding.

Community Activities

The Community section is about making a positive contribution to the people and places around you.

You could become involved in an environmental or community project, work with a younger section or complete an appropriate Community Challenge.

The activity should involve more than simply turning up.

It should give you an opportunity to contribute, learn and reflect on what you’ve achieved.

Values Activities

The Values section gives Explorers opportunities to explore beliefs, values and different perspectives.

This could involve activities connected with faith, spirituality, ethics, personal values or understanding different beliefs.

The purpose isn’t to tell you what to believe.

It’s about encouraging reflection, discussion and understanding.

The current ICV guidance includes activities such as a suitable Scouts’ Own or values-themed project.

Your Choice: Silver DofE or Silver Gateway

The Diamond Award gives you a choice.

You can complete the Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or Silver Gateway Award instead of the four Diamond Challenges.

If you’re already working towards one of these awards, this can be a useful way of combining your progress.

Speak to your Explorer Leader or relevant award adviser before starting so that you understand the current requirements.

The Four Diamond Challenges

The alternative is to complete the four Diamond Challenges.

These are:

A skill

A physical activity

Service

A three-day, two-night expedition

Each challenge is designed to develop a different area of your personal skills and experience.

The Skill Challenge

The skill challenge is about developing an existing interest or learning something completely new.

You need to show progress and lasting interest rather than simply trying something once.

Your skill could be creative, practical, technical or hobby-based.

Perhaps you’ve always wanted to learn photography.

Maybe you want to improve your cooking.

You could learn a musical instrument, develop woodworking skills or explore another suitable interest.

The important part is progress.

The Physical Activity Challenge

The physical activity challenge involves following an agreed programme of participation and achievement.

It could be an activity you already enjoy or something you’ve never tried before.

Walking, cycling, running, swimming and many other activities could provide possibilities, depending on the activity and the current award requirements.

The challenge should encourage you to improve rather than simply participate occasionally.

The Service Challenge

The service challenge is about giving your time and skills to help another person or your community.

This could include helping a younger Scout section as a Young Leader or volunteering in a community setting.

Appropriate briefing and training should be provided so that you have the skills needed for the role.

Service is an opportunity to demonstrate reliability and commitment.

It’s not just about completing a number of hours.

It’s about making a useful contribution.

The Diamond Expedition

The expedition is one of the biggest challenges in the award.

You need to complete a three-day, two-night expedition in rural or open country.

It can be completed by:

Foot

Cycle

Horse

Canoe

Boat

Dinghy

The expedition should involve careful preparation, training, responsibility and review.

This is where many Explorer skills come together.

Navigation becomes important.

So does route planning.

Cooking and camping become practical necessities.

Weather awareness, teamwork and decision-making all matter.

The expedition should be properly planned and undertaken within the appropriate safety arrangements.

How Is Diamond Different From Platinum?

The Diamond Award builds on Platinum.

Platinum introduces Explorers to the top-award pathway.

Diamond raises the level of commitment.

You spend longer as a member.

You complete more nights away.

You undertake more ICV activities.

And your challenges become more demanding.

The Diamond Award is therefore a natural progression rather than simply another collection of requirements.

Can Platinum Activities Count?

Yes, where the current requirements allow it.

For example, Platinum ICV activities can contribute towards the Diamond ICV requirement.

Nights away completed for Platinum can also count towards the Diamond nights-away requirement.

This is one reason it’s worth keeping good records throughout your Explorer journey.

How Long Does It Take?

There isn’t one fixed timetable for everyone.

The membership requirement alone is at least 12 months, while the challenges and other requirements take place over their own periods.

For the Diamond Challenges, Scouts’ current guidance requires an additional three months on one of the Skill, Physical or Service Challenges, with the exact structure depending on your circumstances and whether you’ve already completed Bronze DofE or the Platinum Award.

Planning early is therefore a good idea.

Keep a Log

Don’t rely on your memory.

Keep track of:

Your nights away.

ICV activities.

Skills.

Physical activity.

Service.

Expedition preparation.

Evidence and assessor sign-offs.

The Scouts provides a Diamond Award logbook for recording progress and getting requirements signed off.

Your Explorer Leader can also help you work out which activities count and what evidence you’ll need.

What Skills Does the Diamond Award Develop?

The award can help you develop skills that are useful well beyond Scouting.

You could develop:

Leadership

Independence

Planning

Navigation

Teamwork

Communication

Commitment

Problem-solving

Community awareness

Self-confidence

These are also the kinds of qualities that can be valuable when applying for jobs, further education or other opportunities. Scouts highlights the commitment, teamwork, self-motivation and personal development demonstrated through its top awards.

Diamond to King’s Scout Award

The Diamond Award is the final Chief Scout’s Award before the King’s Scout Award.

For Explorers who want to continue, it provides an important foundation for the final top award.

The King’s Scout Award increases the challenge again and brings together further personal development, expeditions, residential experiences, service and ICV activities.

Completing Diamond therefore isn’t just an achievement in itself.

It can also be part of a longer journey towards the King’s Scout Award.

Don’t Rush It

The Diamond Award is designed to take time.

You don’t need to complete everything as quickly as possible.

Use the opportunity to try something genuinely challenging.

If you’ve always wanted to learn a particular skill, now might be the time.

If you want to become more confident outdoors, choose challenges that help you do that.

If you enjoy helping younger Scouts, develop that interest through service.

The best award experiences are the ones that mean something to you.

Let the Award Be Your Own

Every Explorer will have a different experience.

One person might become an experienced expedition leader.

Another might discover a passion for community volunteering.

Someone else might develop a new hobby or physical activity.

That’s the point.

The Diamond Award provides a framework, but you provide the challenge.

Final Thoughts

The Chief Scout’s Diamond Award is a serious achievement.

It asks Explorers to commit their time, develop themselves, contribute to others and take on a substantial outdoor challenge.

But the real value isn’t the badge.

It’s what happens while you’re earning it.

💎 THE BIG IDEA

Diamond is about taking the next step.

Commit to something.
Develop your skills.
Challenge yourself.
Help others.
Take responsibility.
Learn from the experience.

By the time you finish, you should have more than another award.

You should have experiences and skills that stay with you long after your Explorer days are over.